Saturday, August 1, 2009

JULY 18: THE WEDDING- WOW! Everything went wonderfully! What a blessing for us to see the excitement, joy and anticipation on Ben’s face as Hannah approached him at the front of the church. We count it a privilege to have such a sweet, godly daughter-in-law and be related to a God-honoring family such as the Drennons. Both Heather and Melissa were bridesmaids along with Hannah’s sister, Jennifer. Almost all of the McMillans came so we were able, at least for a brief time, to reconnect with them.

So, what have we been doing since last we wrote? A good portion of the time we have spent undergoing medical examinations and procedures to meet the TEAM requirements for redeployment. We made a trip to DC to look for an apartment and thanks to the help of Dixie Wright we were able to lease a one bedroom basement apartment from a nice family in the Burke area in the southwest suburbs. It would not be available until after July 15th, but the landlord let Peter take a load of household goods and books up. Monday, the 20th, we moved out of Sharon’s parents’ home near Richmond, Va. and settled in the apartment where we will stay for the rest of the year. We are learning the whereabouts of every thrift store in the SW quadrant! There are still a few furniture items lacking, but we hope to be able to borrow some from church friends.

Melissa works Sunday through Friday as an assistant camp counselor at Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center. She had a 2 week vacation and went up with Heather to New York to the grandparents’ cabin. Her freshman move in date for James Madison University is either August 18th or 19th.

Starting this Monday both Sharon and Heather will take a one month intensive course to get certified as TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) instructors. This is a widely used method among missionaries to reach into a community and form relationships.

Sharon is writing this as we make our way back home to DC from Wheaton, Illinois. We attended REAP (Re-entry, Evaluation, And Preparation). About 100 TEAM missionaries and staff gathered together for a week of meetings and exchange. It was a great time of interaction, lots of ideas, interchange of experiences, and training on how to maximize our connection between resources and kingdom opportunities. We met several times with the missionary couple, Scott and Lorna Muha, who are considering teaming up with us in the next assignment. We interviewed many missionaries from various fields, including Mexico, to not leave any stone unturned as the saying goes. Every day we are involved in correspondence to various parties, research, prayer, and waiting on answers. We are hoping for a final decision in August so as to be able to direct energies and prayers to that end. We are excited anticipating this next venture with you!

Missionary with TEAM

We have been missionaries with The Evangelical Alliance Mission since 1988. We served in Venezuela for 20 years. We had the privilege of working with ASIGEO to start Camp Chuparipal a youth camp and lay training center. In Carupano, we partnered with the Buen Pastor church to start Rios de Agua Viva, Canchunchu Community Church, and the Grand Pobre Mission. In 2000 we moved to Lecheria and were part of the Iglesia Biblica Metropolitana church plant. In 2009, we left Venezuela to begin a new church plant in Madrid, Spain.